Q&A: New superintendent lauds Waltham's 'wealth of strength'

Drew Echelson has been the Waltham Schools superintendent for a month, and his schedule is only getting busier.

The new face in town has spent his first month familiarizing himself with the school district and meeting stakeholders in the community, which he will continue to do as he gears up for the start of the school year.

Echelson, a Cambridge resident and Hartford native, previously oversaw 16 schools in Boston as a network superintendent. He was chosen to run the Waltham School District late last year, replacing Susan Nicholson.

Recently, Echelson took some time out of his schedule to answer some questions about his new position.

(Editor's note: A condensed version of this article will appear in the Waltham News Tribune. Echelson's answers are provided here in their entirety.)

What attracted you to the Waltham school system?

Waltham reminds me of the community in which I was raised. The “grit” and determination of Waltham’s citizens and the working class roots of the community appealed to me because of my own personal experiences. I was raised in a hard-working, working class home and was the first and only person in my immediate family to attend college. In addition, I have worked and led in contexts that are similar to Waltham. I wanted to lead in a community where I could bring to bear my own strengths and experiences and collaborate with supportive and engaged parents, students, community leaders, and educators, among many others. Finally, Mayor McCarthy, school committee members, Dr. Nicholson and countless others have all worked to ensure that Waltham has a strong foundation. We are leading from a position of strength and this creates many opportunities for us as we consider bold and ambitious ideas for what is next. I knew when I applied that Waltham was the right fit and that is why I vigorously competed for the role. I beamed with pride the night that Mayor McCarthy called to tell me that the Waltham School Committee voted for me to serve as the next Superintendent.

I know you only started a month ago, but what do you see as some of the strengths of the Waltham school system?

I see a wealth of strength in Waltham. However, I limit my response to three areas: diversity, talent of Waltham teacher force, and engaged students, families, and partners.

Diversity: I believe that children who are raised in multicultural, diverse environments have innumerable benefits over those who are not. Learning and leading in a diverse community like Waltham exposes students to many different ideas, customs and values with which they can grapple and reflect. I often think about an opinion from former United States Supreme Court Justice Powell who compared an education to exposing students to a "marketplace of ideas" that functions best when “there is a rich variety of voices available to offer a diversity of perspectives.” This variety cultivates the "robust exchange of ideas which is essential to our nation’s future”, which “depends upon leaders trained through wide exposure to the ideas and mores of students as diverse as this Nation of many peoples.” I want to leverage the diversity of Waltham’s citizens as we begin to engage in complex questions like, “What do want for our schools?” The answer to questions like this will be far more rich and nuanced when the dialogue includes the diverse voices of our community.

Teachers: I am convinced from my observations, analysis of student growth data and my discussions with teachers that Waltham has an incredibly talented and skilled teacher force. Waltham teachers have reached out to me to discuss their interest in teacher-leadership and growth opportunities. I want to ensure that Waltham’s teachers and administrators have a seat at the table as we engage in a community dialogue on topics such as a district strategic plan. I also want to plan brown-bagged lunches at our schools to hear directly from teachers about their experiences. Our teachers are among our best resources and I want to work directly with them to determine how best to support them given all that they do for Waltham’s children.

Community: The Waltham community cares about the welfare of the schools. In preparation for the role, I have watched almost all school committee meetings since December and listened as citizens’ shared their hopes, dreams and/or ideas to the School Committee at the start of meetings. I also have already met with at least 100 stakeholders (i.e. parents, students, principals teachers, community based organizations, higher education officials…) who care deeply about the state of Waltham Public Schools. It is clear to me from what I have learned that our families want and deserve great schools. Parents and community members are eager to participate and engage to ensure that we deliver a world-class education to all of our students. When our children need additional support or resources, without fail, our parents, elected officials, community-based organizations, and our educators all step-up for Waltham’s children. This is not true in many communities. We also have amazing partners who donate countless hours and resources in support of our mission. As a result of these partnerships, we have robust and innovative STEM and robotics offerings, additional K-12 arts opportunities, and before and after-school programming for our students. Brandeis, Bentley, and Boston College consistently step-up to support our schools as well as so many non-profits in and around Waltham who do so much to enhance the programs available for our students.

Again, I know you just started, but do you have any short-term or long-term goals in mind for Waltham schools as the new superintendent?

I am in the process of implementing an entry plan (see attached) in an effort to listen to as many stakeholders as possible.  Once I analyze all the data that emerges from my entry discussions, I will repeat back to the community what I have heard.  I would then like to open up a community-wide strategic planning process that includes the diverse voices of many stakeholders.  It is my expectation that this collaborative, ambitious and bold strategic plan will guide us in our work and frame short and long-term goals.  

With that said, I have already meet with at least 100 different stakeholders and listened to them as they shared their thoughts on Waltham’s schools.  Three areas come to mind as opportunities for our system: stable leadership, better district support for middle schools, and improved communication.  

Stable Leadership:  Many in the community are concerned about the churn in many leadership roles, most specifically with principals.  I am committed to recruiting and selecting top-tier talent for Waltham Public Schools and am equally invested in cultivating talent from within the district to take new leadership roles as they emerge.  You can find the bios of leadership appointment I have made thus far at this link: goo.gl/IXCsEm.  I am actively assessing candidates’ “commitment to Waltham” and have encouraged others in the district to do the same.  I am confident in the knowledge and skills of the leadership appointments and am equally confident in their commitment to Waltham.  We have also had a series of Superintendent shifts.  I believe that I work for the community and I also know that I serve at the wish of the Mayor and School Committee.  However, it is my hope and expectation that I will serve the Waltham community for many, many years to come.  

Better district support and vision for middle schools: I have heard concerns from members of the community about district support and vision for middle schools. As part of the strategic planning process, I want to hear directly from the community and from teachers and principals about how we can better support our middle schools.  I would like to collaboratively develop a vision for what we can achieve for our middle school students during these important developmental years.  

Improve Communication: Waltham’s citizens are engaged and want more transparent and open dialogue about the schools.  I am committed to ensuring ample opportunities for two-dialogue with the community and to leveraging traditional media and social media to communicate.  Please consider finding a time to talk with me about your hopes, dreams and vision for our schools: ow.ly/PoEey

High School Building Project: As many people already know, Waltham has been selected to move forward in the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) process that could lead to a new or renovated high school for Waltham. I look forward to working with Principal Demeo and many other leaders and stakeholder to ensure that we have a 21st century vision for our city’s high school. As Mayor McCarthy reminds us, “the educational plan for the high school must drive the building design plan.” I look forward to partnering with the community as we further define the secondary education we want for our students.

What drove you to pursue a career in education?

I am so proud that I work in education. Through high school and college, I always assumed that I would practice law. After college, I completed a year of community service through an Americorps organization called City Year. During my time at City Year, I worked with middle school students in Roxbury and led evening programming for them at the Roxbury YMCA. My experience through City Year, working directly with middle school students, inspired me to pursue teaching. I saw through this experience the impact that I could have as a teacher and thus entered the profession. I am deeply proud of my work both as a teacher and a principal. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

In a nutshell, how would you describe your leadership philosophy?

I am a visible, “roll-up my sleeves” type of leader who is willing to do whatever I ask others to do. I see myself as a collaborative and supportive leader who places a relentless focus on improving outcomes and access for students. I believe that our students do not get a second chance and I approach the work that I do with a focused urgency.